THE ULTIMATEACTOR-WRITER-DIRECTOR-COMEDIAN-MODEL-DESIGNER-MUSICIAN-COMPOSER-DANCER--CHOREOGRAPHER-SINGER-ROCK STAR-PLEASE!!!! LET ME MAKE MONEY SO I CAN DO WHAT I LOVE!DAY JOBA Special Report by Susan DansbyIf you’ve been in the entertainment industry as an actor, dancer, singer, writer, director, etc. for longer than five minutes - and if you aren’t independently wealthy - you’ve had to deal with a necessary evil we call: the day job. The day job is the “regular” job that pays your rent and car note, and enables you to eat while you’re doing your night job – working in the entertainment industry – for free.
The Ultimate GoalAs of this writing, I've reached the ultra-ultimate goal of working steadily doing what I love. As a scriptwriter for a network soap opera, I make a nice salary, get to live in Atlanta, work at home, get two weeks off a month, see my name on TV Monday through Friday, and smile as I gaze at my four Emmy® awards.But on my way to this bliss, I had a whole bunch of day jobs. They included word processing, fast food, temping, telemarketing, Amway distributor, making cotton candy – all to support my “art.” As I rode the bus (who could afford a car?) covered head-to-toe in a dusting of pink sugar, all I longed for was a day job that was cleaner and paid more than minimum wage. Today, I’d ask for a whole lot more.
What Makes A Day Job the Ultimate?Flexible Hours – When you’re doing art for free to gain experience, invariably you have to audition/interview in the daytime.If you get the job, most shows rehearse at night (to accommodate everybody’s day job). Then, the shows usually open/play on the weekend. Which means you can work at your day job... when? How many jobs do you know of where you can get days off when you want, nights off when you like and weekends off as needed? Good-to-Great Pay – This is why server/bartender jobs are so popular with artists. If you can get a job at a restaurant that pays great tips, you can afford to live above the subsistence level. But wait! Most of those great tips get made at night (when you’re in rehearsal) or on weekends (when you’re performing). Anonymity – Here’s what used to slap me upside the head when I was looking for directing jobs in LA. You land a meeting with a network bigwig. You dress-to-impress and – glory hallelujah! - succeed in coming off as someone who’s in control and has it all together. Then, the same network exec runs into you later – parking her car, or selling books, or serving tiramisu. Face it, it’s a lot easier to get a job when people think you don’t need a job. In Your Field – Nirvana! To find a day job that actually has something to do with the art you want to pursue is like finding gold. I am not a tax professional and this is not tax advice. But from what I understand, if you make a certain amount of money in your chosen artistic endeavor, the IRS stops viewing it as a hobby and starts viewing it as an occupation – which means that you can take write-offs. Imagine the movies and books and plays and museums and CDs that inspire you – the tools of your trade – being tax deductible. What kind of jobs would this cover? Production Assistants, Writing Assistants, Apprentice Designers. Great entry-level jobs for fledgling directors, writers and designers. The downside? Traditionally, these jobs don’t pay a great wage because they’re so sought after. So you end up needing a day job to supplement your day job. Close-to-Home – Here’s the thing... in New York, auditions, rehearsals and performances can happen anywhere from the Bronx to the Battery. In LA, a typical day could take you from auditioning at a studio in the Valley, to a meeting over the hill in Hollywood, to a callback in Culver City, to a reading at some palatial estate in Malibu. Bottom line, your entertainment jobs are literally all over the map. Your day job needs to be close to the place you’re going to leave every morning and return to every night: home - especially if you have a spouse or kids you'd like to see from time to time. If your job is close-to-home, you can either work before or after you do your artist thing – without unnecessary wear and tear on your psyche or your car or your wallet. Great Boss/Fellow Employees – The ultimate day job would be in a place you love coming to because you like everybody there and they like you. Pays Residual Income – What are residuals? When you perform in or direct or write a TV show or film, you get paid an initial salary. Then (in some cases), when that show or film is replayed (i.e., reruns or foreign distribution or television syndication) you get an additional fractional payment called a residual. You do the work once, get paid more than once. In the music industry and for playwrights and novelists, these are called royalties. I just like to call it happy-dance time. Pays Passive income – This is the best. I was first introduced to passive income by a soap actor. He had a contract that guaranteed he would work in two episodes per week. It was play or pay – which meant that if they didn’t use him, he still got paid for the two episodes. Well, the soap writers decided that this guy’s character would be “missing” for a while. So, for six glorious weeks, this guy would walk to his mailbox and collect his passive income. He didn’t have to go in to work, he didn’t have to learn one line, but he still got paid. Passive income. Okay, are you convinced that the ultimate day job doesn’t exist? It didn’t when I was starting out, but it certainly does now. Drum roll please...
The Ultimate Day Job Is...Having your own website!You scoff? Let’s check it out. Flexible Hours – Your website is open 24/7, but you don’t have to be standing at some counter or even chained to your email box to make money. You work whatever hours you like. If that happens to be 3 in the morning, nobody cares. Good-to-Great Pay – It’s out there if you’re willing to do the upfront work. What do I mean by great? Check on the headline for Rosalind Gardiner's SUPER AFFILIATE HANDBOOK - yeah, I was impressed, too. [NOTE: If you already have a website, get Roz's handbook - it's outstanding. If you don’t have a website yet, keep reading.] Is having your own website a get-rich-quick deal? No way, no how, not by any stretch of the imagination. There are upfront costs, you’ve got to study, but... the rewards... Anonymity – If you want it, you’ve got it. In Your Field – The web is definitely a place where you can pursue your interests. From independent films to Irish dance - if you’re a creative person with varied interests, there is a money-making niche made just for you. Close-to-Home – I’m betting you’re within walking distance of your computer. Great Boss/Fellow Employees – You do enjoy your own company, don’t you? Pays Residual Income – You do the work once, get paid more than once. Pays Passive income – Making money while you sleep – that’s the goal.
What's the Down Side?This won't work for everybody.You have to be a self-starter. If you’re a total slug unless you've got a boss cracking the whip, do not get a website. You’ll be burning money. And the fact is, for a while you’ll be doing double duty. You DO NOT want to quit your day job until you’re sure that the income from your site(s) will more than replace it. But if you’re hungry like I was when I started out... hey, at one point, I was leaving my house at 5:30 am to get on a bus to go to my day job, and not getting home until after 11 – when I finished my night day job. I was so busy trying to make money, I had no time left for doing what I loved. And I am definitely not complaining. I’m blessed to have had a huge dream I wanted so much, and proud I was willing to work that hard to achieve it. And the hard work paid off. But if I’d had the chance to work less hard and lot smarter, I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat.
The Ultimate BenefitsJust think about it:
If you’ve got to have a day job, make it one you enjoy, that makes you money, that gets you closer to the ultimate goal - freedom. Put in the time now so you’ll have the ongoing income and free time to do what you were put on this earth to do – create. To find out how to get your website started, click here and listen to what one of my favorite online mentors, Jim Edwards, has to say. Here’s to your success, scene by scene...
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